A meeting place to exchange views, no matter how different or diverse these may be. Keeping these civil and courteous would be appreciated

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Chua Soi Lek & his MCA Merajuking Manoeuvre

Lee Hwa Beng (MCA) was Subang Jaya's state assemblyman for three terms from 1995 to 2008, and guess what happened in 2008, wakakaka. He was appointed Port Klang Authority chairman from 2008 to 2011 to investigate the PKFZ scandal; he was also the author of 'PKFZ: A Nation’s Trust Betrayed'.

Alamak, can't see Tee Keat lah, wakakaka

In an article he wrote for TMI titled How will MCA fare in the coming election? he predicted MCA could well lose up to 2/3 of its current 15 federal parliamentary seats, though he refused (said it would be inappropriate) to identity which seats MCA will lose.

Needless to say, the current focus of keen political observers (both professional and amateur) is on Johor and the MCA-held parliamentary seats like Gelang Patah.

That DAP's Lim Kit Siang will be the Pakatan Rakyat's candidate in Gelang Patah is no longer the question, though many Pakatan supporters revel in the possibility of Uncle Lim standing there as a candidate under the PAS banner in the event the Registrar of Societies (RoS) decides to suspend or de-register DAP. In fact I dare say they fantasize and hope for that possibility which in one fell swoop would destroy UMNO's demon-ization of DAP as an anti Malay-Muslim political party.

In what we suspect to be UMNO possible plan to 'persuade' ROS to suspend DAP just prior to the election, so as to save its subordinate, MCA, UMNO could well be digging for itself a far deeper cesspool than it currently wallows in, and which its plummeting into may be non-salvageable.The picture of a pro Malay-Muslim DAP to the Heartland may just make UMNO think twice, unless it's so monumentally stupid, a state of mind most unlikely but which we mustn't completely discount.Dare CSL confront Lim KS in Gelang Patah?However, the question of the MCA candidate in Gelang Patah, purportedly Tan Ah Eng, continues to intrigue political observers and KPCs (kay poh chnee or busybodies, like kaytee, wakakaka).Will CSL step in a la Lee San Choon in Seremban in 1982, to put his leadership 'money' where his mouth is, to re-enact a second MCA vs DAP Clash of the Titans, which Lee San Choon won for the MCA in the 1982 general election when he defeated Dr Chen Man Hin (DAP).

'Twas then a historic event in what the Chinese would term an MCA leader courageously entering the DAP's haw siew (tiger lair, meaning stronghold) - a case of dare to say, dare to do!

Lee also mentioned Chua Soi Lek's (CSL) merajuk tactic as follows:

Two years ago, MCA president Chua Soi Lek announced that the MCA will not accept any Cabinet positions if the party obtains fewer than the existing 15 seats. This statement was made nearly two years ago when he first became MCA president but has not been repeated since.

Was he trying to blackmail the Chinese community into considering carefully before voting against the party? Was he more confident of a better performance then? His subsequent silence may mean he has either regretted his statement or that he is less confident of his party’s performance in the upcoming elections two years later.

CSL's merajuking reminded me of Koh Tsu Koon who told Penangites pretty much the same thing, that he won't enter government if he lost his bid for the Batu Kawan federal seat, and which he did to Dr Rama (DAP), ... but which nonetheless saw him subsequently and shamelessly accepting a ministerial position via the Senate back door, to become the Assistant (disgracefully only an assistant) Headmaster of Report Cards for BN ministers and officials.Anyway, 'nuff of Koh TK and back to CSL and MCA, for the story of MCA is also the story of Malaysians of Chinese ancestry, and perhaps vice versaWe'll consider Gerakan as nothing more than a splinter group of MCA in the way PKR is a splinter group of UMNO. The genes, DNA and chor-kong (political ancestors) are the same for MCA and Gerakan, as are for UMNO and PKR.The questions we want to ask are:(a) Will CSL stand in Gelang Patah?(b) Will his merajuking tactic convince the Chinese, especially those in Johor, to give the MCA a 'second-illionth' chance in GE-13 or suffer no Chinese representation in the new Malaysian cabinet? - A threat we may describe as the 'MCA Merajuking Manoeuvre'.Only CSL can answer the first, but for us to obtain an answer to the second query, we need to revisit the history of the MCA, in particular that of its leaders - and I'll try not to be tng k'ooi (chong hei) wakakaka.The leadership tussles in MCAThe MCA was formed on 27 February 27 1949 with support from the British colonial government who hoped for the Chinese association to manage the social and welfare concerns of the rural Chinese interned (not unlike Japanese POW's) under the Briggs' Plan in the 'new villages' during the Malayan Emergency.

Chinese forcefully 'moved' to new villages

Two years later, MCA transformed into a formal political party under the leadership of a Straits-born Malacca baba Tan Cheng Lock, father of Tan Siew Sin.Among the top leaders were Kuomintang (Guomindang) Party people, wakakaka. Presumably it found favour with the Brits and UMNO because it was undoubtedly anti Communist.

Chiang Kai Shek in Kuomintang military uniform, wakakaka

Even Penang-born Lim Chong Eu, a King's scholar who studied medicine in Scotland holds a Kuomintang army medical (honorary) rank of Colonel.Yes, do look at the emblem of the MCA and see in it its association with the emblem of the Kuomintang Party of Chiang Kai Shek.

Kuomintang emblem

MCA

Right from its very start, MCA has been a party rife with leadership tussles. Lim Chong Eu who became its President after defeating Tan Cheng Lock in 1958 demanded that Tunku treat the MCA as an equal partner, and demanded 40 seats instead of the 28 it was allocated. Lim also wanted Chinese recognized as another official language of Malaya.Tunku went as far as increasing MCA's allocation from 28 to 31 but rejected Lim's other demands. Then, in what was alleged as a political war by Tunku against Lim Chong Eu using a surrogate, pro UMNO Tan Siew Sin, he applied both external pressure (by UMNO) as well as internal pressure (by Tan Siew Sin's pro UMNO faction in MCA) until he manoeuvred Lim Chong Eu into resigning from MCA. Tan Siew Sin took over as MCA president and became and remained UMNO's favourite and respected partner.

My uncles who served in the military told me that apart from the PM, DPM and Defence Minster, the only 3 ministers who were entitled to salutes by military officers, Tan Siew Sin was also to be so honoured by the armed forces and police. Tun Abdul Razak personally issued that directive of exception, such was his respect for Tan Siew Sin.I reckon Tan was probably the only and last MCA leader to be liked and respected by UMNO top leaders. Maybe Mahathir might like Ling but I wonder whether he respects him?From there, the bitter leadership tussles continued as per the following (in brief extracts):

Lim Chong Eu vs Tan Siew Sin (re-stated here)

Lee San Choon expelling Lim Keng Yaik from MCA (who then joined Chong Eu in Gerakan)

Leaving aside the issues of alleged corruption, some have suggested that the three so-called golden eras of MCA were under Tan Siew Sin (until May 13 1969), Lee San Choon (1974-1983) and Ling Liong Sik (1986-2003).

Why golden eras?

Let's concentrate on the two which were post May 13 1969. Both Lee San Choon and Ling Liong Sik did much for Chinese education, apart from other achievements. For example, Lee launched Kojadi, a scholarship fund, and expanded TAR College massively. Ling consolidated as well enhanced the Kojadi scholarship loan scheme while launching the Langkawi Education Project. It's said his most significant contribution to the community and country was the establishment of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar).

Time and time again, kaytee has stated that education is a central pillar of Chinese culture. I wonder whether those two MCA presidents had relatively long periods of reign in their parties because they saw fit to focus on Chinese educational concerns.

Of the two, the former, Lee San Choon, was disliked by Mahathir but who like(d?) the latter.

Lee San Choon

The popular rumour among Chinese was that Lee San Choon was allegedly 'told' by Mahathir he should leave, this despite the MCA winning well in the 82 general election, increasing its federal seats from 17 to 24 at the expense of DAP.

Legend had it that Lee decided to do it in style, just to (figuratively) jab at Mahathir in the nose before he left. He deliberately chose to stand in Seremban, a DAP tiger's lair (haw siew) to show (i) the MCA still had Chinese support, and (ii) he an MCA politician didn't have to stand in a Malay-majority constituency to win

He wanted to demonstrate his independence of UMNO's patronage, by being different from the usual MCA and Gerakan politicians who since 1969 had had difficulties or faced impossibilities winning in Chinese-majority constituencies - indeed, a shameful indictment on those so-called Chinese parties.

Lee San Choon won Seremban but, presumably having proven his point with a two-finger salute to Mahathir, left almost immediately after his victory - Dr Chen then won Seremban back in the by-election.

A year later, in 1983 he told the Chinese edition of Asiaweek (04 September issue): “We wanted to prove that the MCA did not
need to rely on the support of the Malay leaders (UMNO) to win so that the government
will take us seriously. Although I manage to beat Dr Chen [Man Hin] winning
was not easy. UMNO leaders stabbed me in the back. There were not many Malay
voters who supported me as they did not like the way I did things.”

Leaders with honour?Thus, we can see only 3 MCA leaders left either the party or the coalition with some honour, namely:

(a) Lim Chong Eu, who failed to convince his own MCA party to back him in his demands to Tunku for UMNO to treat MCA as an equal partner in the Alliance coalition (Perikatan) and for Chinese (Mandarin) to be recognized as an official language of Malaya,

Lim Chong Eu

(b) Tan Siew Sin, who took his MCA colleagues out of the cabinet following the party's disastrous results in the 1969 election, and

(c) Lee San Choon, in stepping into the DAP haw siew (tiger's lair) to defeat Dr Chen Man Hin before he left MCA.

There was a moment prior to 2008 when I had imagined that Ong Ka Ting might do a Lee San Choon and stand in Bukit Bintang, but wakakaka, I was probably imagining under the influence of Mr Walker (Johnny Walker that was, wakakaka).

So we can see the MCA presidents who did stay long as party president were those (Lee San Choon and Ling Liong Sik) who paid some attention to Chinese education, or Tan Siew Sin who was liked and respected by UMNO leaders - these apart from their party scheming and manipulations, wakakaka.

Ling Liong Sik

Will Chinese vote MCA for voice in government?We also can opine that some Chinese Malaysians have voted MCA for years because they wanted Chinese representation in the cabinet. However, in the north the uniquely Chinese Penangites' previous strategy was to vote DAP to federal parliament to 'make noise' for Chinese rights and to vote MCA (or Gerakan) to the state assembly for Penang's local development.

Anyway, will CSL's threat work, that of MCA staying out a la Tan Siew Sin if the Chinese do not vote MCA in GE-13 to enable it to win more than its current 15 seats? Will his 'MCA Merajuking Manoeuvre' work?

In kaytee's humble opinion, I think not for two reasons, as follows:

(a) there is a new generation of voters who don't give a f* about Chinese representation in cabinet because they have different values from Chinese of an earlier generation. These new Chinese voters are more into human rights as well as to throw out what they see as a corrupt BN than the Chinese traditional and pragmatic concerns for their daily '3 bowls of rice'.

Whether they are stupid or correctly conscientious is irrelevant because that's how they feel and that's how they'll vote.

(b) the Chinese also believe that post GE-13 they will be represented in a Pakatan Rakyat cabinet so voting MCA out actually supports their belief. And this represents the principal difference between earlier elections and the pending one vis-a-vis the threat of CSL's 'MCA Merajuking Manoeuvre'.

Previously the only likely government after an election would be one from the BN coalition, whereas today the Chinese reckon (correctly or incorrectly) that there may be a Pakatan alternative.

Thus, I do not believe CSL's threat will have impact on the thinking of Chinese voters.

but lee vs lee n mc vs chn happenned at the same time, while mc challenged lee was at a later date, no?

sometime u r like one that "spin" fact at yr fancy similar to those that always claim 1958 800k citizenship given is due to the kindness of this n that, but fact is this were part of the strategy to battle the communist. they start to talk cock only after the threat of communist disappeared.

See my friend HY, Ktee knows how to make magic work... Leaders who survived and became great because of education. It brings us to the sad, sad part of today...some of us grew up already seeing the bollocks of MCA and the fire in DAP - Lee Lam Thye, V David, Patto... With in-fighting, MCA is a sad shadow of the past and your favourite title - DAP Fanboy may not like what I'm going to say. DAP is now replicating MCA.

Alas, the old days of DAP & Gerakan.

Anyway, goodbye one "Chua" and the other "Chua" is in hiding - merajuking. Both also "boo hut". Wakakaka

Yeah who can forget that Michael Chen poised to win because of his chinese educational background. I also remember a group of chinese educationals including Koh Tsu Koon entered Gerakan in the 80s to change BN from within. Guess who kenna changed

But you haven't corrected your earlier post where you said CJM challenged for the deputy president post which in fact he never did. What he did was challenged for the President post twice, lost to Ong Ka Ting and then Ong Tee Kiat.

When Ong last offered himself for the president post (and lost), I recall that CJM offered himself (independently and not together with OTK as a pair) for the deputy prez position and lost to LTL. In this post I recall only the acrimonious fights between wannnabe presidents of MCA

This is a good topic to explore, to be honest I dont know, maybe, by looking at history. All reformist turn into BN apologist in the end : Lim Chong Eu, Lim Keng Yaik, Michael Chen, the Huajiao four Junzi (gentlemen), and that one i (used to) hold in high regard OTK, i really dont know.

Forgive me for being tng k'ooi on this, I'm a stickler of history. When LLS & LAL disagreed with each other MCA went into crisis once again. I think it was Tun M who brokered peace to prevent MCA 'melt down' which will somehow affect BN. So both LLS & LAL have to step down and the leadership of MCA was passed to OKT & CKC. By then CJM was being sidelined. Came the next MCA election, CJM has got no choice & he went for broke and challenges OKT. I do not remember if anyone challenged CKC but OTK was then only opting for a VP for the 1st time (from previous post of youth Prez). CJM did creditably but still lost. Then came GE12 & MCA led by OKT failed miserably and OKT decided to step down & passed over the baton to OTK as the next Prez. Then came the next MCA election, by then CSL scandal has set him back but being a really smart one he saw the chance for a come back & went for the deputy Prez knowing he would not stand any chance against OTK. As it was, OTK & CJM fought for the Prz post while CSL fought against OKC for the deputy Prez post, LTL only went for the VP post. The winners were OTK as the PRez & CSL as the No. 2 & OKC became the shortest reign Minister of the Housing & Local Government ministry. CJM resigned from MCA not long after that.

I remember the bitter case of LLS (Team A) and LAL (Team B) where both agreed to fade away and hand the baton over to OKT and CKC respectively. The rest until the ugly feud between OTK and CSL were not acrimonious contest, thus I ignored them.

all this while i dun see anything worth reading from you except sucking the host dick, so please do wake me up if you have an argument to offer, i dun mind a kick ass one, or else continue with what you do best....suck dick!

As for not seeing anything worth reading from me....well, let's just say there are advantages to NOT having a handle and going anon, so you would NEVER know for sure who commented what and on what day, heheheh. So please don't be so presumptious lah, get off from that pretentious high horse.

OK lah...one more round. Sissy boy ? Hold your horses, old man. Get yourself a huge mirror and have a good hard look....but then, may be not....no hope lah, even if it is the largest mirror in the world, the eye will not see what it does not wanna to, right ? Guess we have to stuff it and bear with it....grit our teeth and meet again and again that dreadful pomposity here.

Just do us a favour by toning down a wee bit ? But may be that's asking too much eh ? Bye !

i dont think my tone is that lofty/pompous unless i hear it from the host. n i believe most of us r man enough to understand which part is joke for fun sake, and have the savviness of being cynical while still able (hopefully) to convey the right message. we often cant do this in a blog host by hmmm...woman or those sound like woman, either out of respect or due to our our sexism attitude.

Great article, and very informative for a relatively new politics follower like me.

I personally think that the MCA guys who are stepping down in GE13 (be it temporary or permanently) are smart fellows (Ong Ka Ting, Fong Chan Onn, etc); whoever going out to the war is as good as committing suicide. They should read more books like Art of War and Three Kingdoms.

MCA will walk into oblivion...like all political parties do, eventually.DAP will be the "next MCA" in a Pakatan Rakyat-run Malaysia ...wakakakaka. In the circle of life....Malaysia needs a Chinese-based party to play the role of Kapitan Cina...like it or not...

I know, I know, all the protestations that DAP is not raced-based. I just attended a DAP function last night. The crowd was near 100% Chinese, and the function was almost entirely in Chinese, except for the opening, which was in English. What do you think ?

PAS was also a splinter group of UMNO, whereas after the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, the DAP was formed as a new Malaysian party, thus it could be argued that DAP had its origin in a Malaysian PAP (1963 to 1965) which doesn't exist anymore

What would happen to MCA if the party is wiped out in the coming GE and Pakatan forms the next government? Your take on this is most welcome. I predict the party will disintegrate like the Mission Impossible tapes.

That threat worked in the 70s, 80s & 90s. Even with Chinese strongly returning MCA in the polls, the 'voice' is not prominent. Remember how Kok Lanas told the CHinese to stop whining in an infamous speech?

If MCA is wiped out in GE13, its leaders will be having a ball! Imagine what they can do with all the illegal wealth that they have accumulated within the party. It's a fucking rich party, regardless of how rotten it is now.

MCA should just fold up and transfer all its assets into an all -Malaysia scholarship fund before onset of GE13. This would be its grearest contribution to the Chinese in Malaysia. Leave the politics to the Malays & Indians - they are better at it.

Its a good article but perhaps some of your thoughts on future survival strategies of Chinese in the country might be appropriate - rather than just emigrate as you and I have done.

Chinese peoples, up to now, even with MCA voice, nothing much was done. Now without MCA voice and with new gomen with little chinese representation in PKR, almost all chinese representation in DAP and without chinese representation in PAS, the chinese and indians will be annihilated. No?

I do not recall anwar apologising for his ministerial policy that triggered events into ops lalang, but I recall his 916 frogology and I worry about his wheeling and dealing with dodgy characters like (I really hate to disturb the name of the dead but I'm forced to) the late Bala, Deepak, Saiful's father, and more which I won't mention here

I think MCA's contributions to the development of the Chinese community over many decades needs to be recognised, not simply ridiculed.

In the run-up to Merdeka , MCA helped facilitate the Citizenship applications of many China-born nationals who were effectively stateless at the time. That fact earned MCA the life-long gratitude of many of those assisted.

MCA has made deep and broad assistance over many decades for the education of Chinese children - Chinese Primary Schools as well as the founding and development of TAR College and UTAR. Everyone is aware of the deep concern the community has over access to education. MCA has successfully focused on practical solutions instead of just spreading hatred towards the government, as the Opposition has engaged in.

what is wrong with ali last 3 para? he use word like believe, hope, expect, better, less likely to paint an aspiration basing on the pragmatism and people desire in pursuing of idealism, in a relative manner that is totally opposite of those that indulge in the prism of absolutism non stop blabbing lge this lge that, hannah yeoh this hannah yeoh that, anwar this anwar that......

Many thinks this CT Ali is a troll, but a much much better quality one than the usual stupid bunch, but his slip is showing with the do-or-die GE round the corner.

He just can't help it, what with the stake so high. Very poor write up about DAP driving away the malays. He knows how to bring out the bouquet in one hand and then wham...bang down hard with a hammer but this is where he loses out...not a single iota of hard fact to bolster his so-called argument that DAP is economically "ethnic-cleansing" the malays. To even use such words as ethnic-cleansing.... i rest my case.

"do you understand what you have read? i am merely restating what Tun Oracle said. when something is said uncomplimentary about Anwar, you go berserk. didn't you read the part which i countered him. if you don't understand, ask. "

sad? hardly. u seem to have very little understanding, if any, of either what sak wrote n i said. and this is no surprise.

Until today I'm still very suspicious of LSC victory in Seremban, I always believe there were manuever in that election that's why CMH won back in the bye-election otherwise it makes no sense of the turn around, that said, means I also do not agree with KT analysis.

of course no, the dap chinese will offer anwar the minister of youth and sport, if he keep his mouth shut, dap chinese would promote him minister of agri, while lks become the pm cum finance cum home affair and his son dpm cum cm cum work cum defense. dap the better. dap chinese the best, dap lims the supreme best!

OK, to answer Buttercup's question, DAP will continue to support AI as PM. DAP is realistic because it knows Malaysia is not yet ready for a non-Malay PM (unless you consider Tunku as Thai, Hussein Onn as Turkish, Mahathir as Indian, AAB as Chinese, wakakaka)

I would say I agree with Wong Mun Hoe. This culture of jumping around constituencies shows a sort of contempt for the voters in the seat and a lack of commitment to the MP or ADUN's primary responsibility to serve their constituents. Father and son Lim seem to both suffer from the same disease.

I can understand if a politician fails to get elected , and tries his luck elsewhere, or he has served the same constituency for many years, and decides to pass it to a different candidate.

Jumping around after serving 1 term, or jumping around a half-dozen constitutencies in as many elections exposes a mercenary mentality.

About Me

Just a bloke interested in the socio-political whatnots around the world, particularly those in Malaysia. Loves a laugh or/and story or two, or more, but loves civility and courtesy much more, especially in politics